This invention relates generally as indicated to a floral container and, more particularly, to a floral container comprising a liquid-holding receptacle and an insert which supports the floral grouping in an upright position within the receptacle.
Cut flowers are commonly xe2x80x9cwet packedxe2x80x9d to keep them fresh during shipping and/or presentation by immersing their stems in water, or a water/preservative mixture. A xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d floral container is typically provided to carry the fresh cut flowers and the associated xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d liquid. Such a floral container should be of a sufficient stiffness to support the flowers and should be of a sufficient waterproofness to hold the liquid. If easy handling and carrying is necessary, the floral container also should be lightweight.
To ship fresh flowers, the floral container may be boxed inside an outer container to form a floral shipper. The outer container is typically a rectangular box having a height sufficient to extend above the tops of the flowers supported within the floral container. The box may be made of corrugated cardboard as this material provides the necessary stiffness, is lightweight for easy handling during assembly, and provides a resilient, shock absorbing structure for the floral container within (and, consequently, the floral grouping) during shipping. Any liquid that spills or leaks from an inner floral container due to, for example, tilting of the floral shipper, will probably contact and possibly damage the outer cardboard material.
Once the floral shipper arrives at a retail setting, the inner floral container is removed from the outer cardboard box. If the floral container is of a suitable display size and is aesthetically pleasing, the wet-packed flowers may be presented in it. Otherwise, it may be necessary to transfer the flowers to a display container for presentation purposes. In either case, if the display container does not prevent or at least minimize spills, this may be reflected in constant clean up at the retail level thereby resulting in increased costs and associated inconvenience.
The present invention provides a floral container for wet-packed fresh flowers that provides a stiff yet lightweight structure for holding water and one or more floral groupings. The floral container includes built-in liquid retention features to help prevent spill-related damage. The floral container also is of a convenient size and exhibits an aesthetically pleasing look for presenting flowers so that it may be used at the retail level.
More particularly, the floral container comprises a receptacle which holds a liquid and an insert which supports the floral grouping(s). The insert is positioned within the receptacle above its bottom wall thereby defining a liquid-holding region of the container. The insert defines a passageway to the liquid-holding region whereby the stems of the floral grouping may extend through the passageway and into the liquid holding region. The receptacle""s side walls and the insert""s side walls define a spill-catching region which communicates with the liquid-holding region.
The receptacle may have a substantially rectangular box-like shape with side walls that taper inwardly toward its bottom wall. The insert may have a substantially rectangular box-like shape having a lesser height than the receptacle so that the insert""s bottom edges will be positioned above the liquid-holding region. The side walls of the insert may taper inwardly in the same direction as the receptacle""s side walls, but spaced from them to form the spill-catching region between the respective side walls.
The receptacle and the insert may include locking components (such as a matching groove and bead or interlocking barbs) which mate together in the assembled floral container. The locking components may be formed, for example, on a lip extending outwardly from the insert""s side walls and on an upper surface of the receptacle. Additionally or alternatively, the insert may include one or more dividers that form one or more compartments through which the floral stems may extend into the liquid-holding region.
To use the floral container, liquid is poured into the receptacle to a level which will be below that of the bottom edges of the side walls of the insert in the assembled container. If the receptacle and the insert are separate parts that may be selectively assembled and disassembled, the insert is placed into the receptacle and the locking components are mated together. Floral groupings are placed in the insert and, if the insert includes a grid, the floral groupings may be evenly distributed among the compartments.
The floral container may then be loaded into an outer container to form a floral shipper. Additionally, a plurality of these floral shippers may be assembled in columns and rows on a pallet to form a floral shipper assembly. Each of the shippers may have length and width dimensions so that the overall length dimension and the overall width dimension of the floral shipper assembly corresponds to the width and length of the pallet.
The present invention provides these and other features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.